They initially started with 5 members: SAYAKA, KAEDE, KAREN, MIMU and MIYUU. In 2009, after the LDH DREAM GIRLS AUDITION 2008, YURINO was added to the group. This line-up released the indie DVD single "Happy Talk" on October 21 of the same year.
The group was originally scheduled to debut on June 9, 2010 with their first major single titled "Perfect Smile", although the release was cancelled and the debut postponed.[1]
"Perfect Smile" was later included in their first album Happy Time, released on June 20, 2012.
SAYAKA was referred to as the dance leader of both Happiness and E-girls.
Their best selling single is "Holiday", while "Friends" is the lowest.
"GOLD" is their best charting single, being the group's first and only release to chart at #1.
MIMU was supposed to participate in their 4th single "We Can Fly" but she announced her hiatus before the single's announcement, and a few months later, her departure from the group.
Happiness and Flower released their 5th singles ("Sunshine Dream ~Ichido Kiri no Natsu~" and "Taiyou to Himawari" respectively) on the same day, August 7, 2013, as part of the Musha Shugyo Happiness vs Flower.
There's no release of the group with the 8-member line-up. Although Sugieda Mayu returned from her hiatus for the announcement of the Musha Shugyo Happiness vs Flower and the single "Sunshine Dream ~Ichido Kiri no Natsu~", she did not participate in both as she stated to "not be fully ready to participate in the performances with the group". However, she made a surprise appearance during the final performance at the last event to perform a cover of EXILE's song "Love, Dream & Happiness" along with both groups.
At the beginning, the group mainly focused on pop and refreshing songs. Since their 8th single "Holiday", they have found their way to a girl-crush direction, and have adapted Hip-Hop and rock sounds.[2] According to the members themselves, the newer concept of the group includes "tsundere" as a theme and "expressing a strong and slightly sadistic girl".[3]
E-girls[]
Happiness is the only group part of E-girls to have changed major record labels. From 2009 to 2013 they were signed on Universal Music Japan, being part of the sublabel UNIVERSAL SIGMA from 2009 to 2012. In 2013, they were transferred from UNIVERSAL SIGMA to NATUYAWAVE RECORDS. In 2014, they left Universal Music Japan and moved to rhythm zone, the same label as E-girls and groupmate Dream.
During this period, the members participated in E-girls' activities under courtesy of Universal Music Japan.
Their page on Universal Music Japan is still open and it seems that they are signed to EMI Music Japan, but that is due to NATUYAWAVE RECORDS' merge with EMI.
They were the only group to not have any of their songs included in E-girls' releases.
They were the only group part of E-girls that had an indie release prior to their major debut.
Suda Anna and Kawamoto Ruri were initially only E-girls members before being added to Happiness. They were the only E-girls' members to be added to one of the units.
They were the longest-lasting active group of the E-girls' units (not counting Dream's period outside of LDH).
